Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE GAMECOCK ♦ Wednesday, October 30, 2002 7 SOUND OFF * ONLINE POLL Oeafe message boards at Should marijuana www.dailygamecock.com or be legalized? send letters to the editor to Www.dailygamecock.com. gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com Results published on Fridays. IN OUR OPINION Awareness is prevention With two months left in the year, the number of rapes reported on campus has already surpassed last year’s total. The Thomson Student Health Center said 34 rapes have been reported so far this year; there were 33 in 2001. That’s 67 too many. While the health center can provide care and counseling, these numbers don’t reflect the police department’s log—just one rape has been reported to the USC Police Department this semester. What’s The more students know, the more they can do to protect 0 themselves. causing this discontinuity? The problem is twofold. First, the police department and the health center can focus on publicizing awareness issues, including statistics. Sexual assault is a serious concern, ana students must be informed about how many occur on campus, as well as details about them. The more students know, the more they can do to protect themselves. Second, accurate statistics can’t be compiled without accurate reports. The stigma associated with rape is so great that many victims choose not to report the assault. And while it remains a victim’s choice how best to deal with the trauma, reporting rapes can be one of the best steps to preventing them. With accurate information, the health center and police department can share statistics to better protect USC students and work on strategic safety issues that might crop up, such as better lighting in garages and ™ more frequent night patrols. When students know what’s really going on around campus, they can voice their concerns to improve safety and take better steps to protect themselves. Winners and Sinners ANAHEIM ANGELS Denying Barry Bonds another World Series ring. But they still look . better than Sid Breem did back in 1992. GARNET GAME DAY All fans are encouraged to turn the stadium garnet. We hope Tennessee won’t “black out” USC’s offense. “JACKASS” Celebration of comedic stupidity earns millions for fans of fall-down, gross-out humor. “Jackass 2” to be hosted by Bob Saget. FEMINIST PRIMETIME REPORT Says six networks are marketed toward an “adolescent boy’s fantasy world.” So, where’s the problem? DARLA MOORE Gives money to Clemson in hopes of breaking Strom’s most-buildings named-after-a-living-person record. RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT Unknown gas gets released in attempt to save hostages. Stupidity proves to be just as dangerous as Saddam. GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. E-mail us at gamecockviewpoints@hotmail.com. ABOUT THE GAMECOCK Qppj LUIIUI III “ Mary Hartney New* Editor Adam Beam Asst. News Editor Emma Ritch Viewpoints Editor Chris Foy Asst. Viewpoints Editor Erin O'Neal The Mix Editors Justin Bajan. Charles Tomlinson Sports Editor Kyle Almond Asst. Sports Editor Matt Rothenberg Photo Editor Candi Hauglum Head Designer Katie Smith • Page Designers Samantha Hall, Julia . Knetzer, Sarah McLaulin, Shawn Rourk, David Stagg Copy Desk Chief Jill Martin Copy Editors Jennie Duggan, Tricia Ridgway. Holly Totherow, Karen Vaught Online Editor Bessam Khadraoui Community Affairs UUNiMoi mrumviAl Offices on third floor of th Editor in Chief: gamecock News Desk: gamecockudi Viewpoints: gamecockvie The Mix: gamecockmixed Sports: gamecocksportsOj Online: www.dailygameco Public Affairs: gckpublica Newsroom: 777-7726 Editor’s Office: 777-3914 STUDENT MEDIA Faculty Adviser Erik Collins Director of Student Media Ellen Parsons Creative Director Susan King Business Manager Carolyn Griffin Advertising Manager Sarah Scarborough Classified Manager Sherry F. Holmes Creative Services Derek Goode, Earl Jones, Kimberly Myles. Melanie Roberts Advertising Staff Adam Bourgoin, Justin Chappell, Bianca Knowles, Denise Levereaux, Jacqueline Rice, Stacey Todd IUN »Russell House. editor@hotmail.com isk@hotmail.com 4 vpoints@hotmail.com tor@hotmail.com hotmail.com ck.com Tairs@hotmail.com The Gamecock is the student newspaper of the University of South Carolina and is published Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the fall and spring semesters and nine times during the summer with the exception of university holidays and exam periods. Opinions expressed in The Gamecock are those of the editors or author and not those of the University of South Carolina. The Board of Student Publications and Communications is the publisher of The Gamecock. The Department of Student Media is the newspaper’s parent organization. The Gamecock is supported in part by student activities fees. One free copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased for one dollar each from the Department of Student Media. f r\n cm *ji ion TO PLACE AN AD The Gamecock 1400 Greene St. Columbia, S.C. 29208 fdvertising: 777-3888 lassified: 777-1184 Fax: 777-6482 Hou.ioJooo 57Aes Conti Noe To 3lk$T U/Hire H(?o5^ \jJAvT-~ “TUo*)* ''vA S'Aucefisj SOM^^OV'5 r^o^o h \ fly&i to**®**'Ji V 5TfZ&i5AvO CDj- /sX - -rt^nv CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS Haunted by ghosts of the past EDRIN WILLIAMS GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAIL.COM Sordid history taints S.C.’s natural beauty. South Carolina is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful places in these United States of America. Whether you are nes tled in the mountainous Upstate, basking in the sun along the coastline or discovering the Gullah cultures of the Lowcountry, there is no denying the marvel that allows herself to be called South Carolina. Despite its beauty, it would be naive to ignore the fact that we have a ways to go before we can enjoy this place we call home. Because South Carolina is blem ished: stained by its past, taint ed by its present and seemingly doomed to defilement in an ap proaching future. For the sake of those unfamiliar with our histo ry or those who don’t share my views, I’ll explain. We are haunted by the ghosts of our past. Our state’s history, in its purest iorm, Dears witness to systems of oppression, vio lence and hatred. “The Peculiar Institution,” which legally end ed almost 140 years ago, contin ues to be at the heart of many problems. Yes. Many of the issues affect ing our state are the result of the slavery system that once domi nated our way of life. Disagree? Let’s examine. For years, the rest of the coun try has buckled over in laughter as we continue to fight over the Confederate battle flag. Some cry heritage, others scream hatred. Call it what you want, its signifi cance can be traced back to days when blacks toiled in fields of cot ton, rice and indigo. It’s the flag that supporters of the “ole way of life” flew as they fought the Union. It’s the flag that the Ku Klux Klan holds high while screaming “white power.” This debate is bigger than some arrangement of stars and bars. It is rooted in racial tension be tween one group that has tradi tionally held sovereign power and another group that refuses to accept that system any longer. Our education system contin ues to be deplorable. Classrooms are occupied by unqualified sub stitutes who baby sit as our chil dren fall farther behind. Qualified teachers get the salary of a short-order cook with one hand. Still, we wonder why SAT scores scrape me Dottom. wny are we so far behind? It might be related to the fact that we didn’t have a free statewide public school system until Reconstruction. I guess politi cians weren’t as busy stealing money as you were taught. An article that appeared in The State, said black South Carolinians had made significant economic and financial gains during the ‘90s. Yet, only 65 per cent of black residents in the state who are over the age of 25 have a high-school diploma, and only 10 percent hold a college de gree. At the same time, 26 per cent of the 1.1 million black resi dents live in poverty. We cannot begin to deal with today’s problems or look to the future because we still fight is sues of our past. Luckily, there is a new generation of scholars who are genuinely interested in South Carolina. In our history and African-American studies programs, there are a number of highly trained faculty members dedicated to research who are dealing with this state’s history, its present condition and its fu ture. Anyone interested in studying history in its purest form need only place a call. The results will astound you. Williams is a fourth-year African American studies student. IN YOUR OPINION Christians preach what they practice Christianity is given a bad name because of the way “Christians” act in the com munity. Christianity is more than just love and acceptance. If it were not, people would nev er be punished for what they did wrong. I’m not saying it is right for someone to stand in a public place on campus and preach to people, using the wrath of God to scare them. Scaring people into submis sion is just plain wrong. God’s wrath is real. The Bible says, “the wrath of God is being re vealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wicked ness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” It is wrong to call someone a whore, because it is degrading to that person. We are all made in the image of God. Therefore, by degrading someone, we are degrading God. The love-and-acceptance the ory comes to a halt when we look at the way people act, what they believe and what they say. We are not to accept and love people’s actions if they are un biblical. God commands us to love the person, but not to ac cept the sin. I know that I sin constantly, and I admire people who have the courage to tell me I am wrong. It’s not that they do not love me; it’s just that they do not love what I have done or am doing. I’m grateful that Christianity is more than just love and acceptance. If it were only about love and acceptance, I would keep wallowing in my sin and would not become a stronger Christian and grow closer to God. DARCI GAMBLE FIRST-YEAR NURSING STUDENT Ignorant comment evokes discussion We have discussed Mr. Ernie Ellis’ comments regarding the rape that occurred near the Roost in our Women’s Studies 307 class. In particular, we have analyzed his analogy to chick en legs in parking lots and how it can be expected that ants would crawl all over it. We hope that Mr. Ellis real ly didn’t mean this. It is clearly victim-blaming. We have imag ined how hurtful the statement might have been for the sur vivor of that assault and indeed to all survivors who read it in the student newspaper. Students, faculty and staff depend on the USC police to as sist us in times of need, not to cast aspersions on survivors of crimes. Statements such as the uiin icpui maun uy mi. Ellis can contribute to low re porting rates, self-blame in sur vivors and community apathy about sexual violence. We hope the USC police have apologized to the victim in this case. Maybe the dialogues that have ensued in response to the chicken-leg, comment in such classes as ours will help every one’s understanding about the sensitive nature of sexual vio lence and the harm created when victims must bear the stigmas. LAURA R. WOLIVER AND STUDENTS WOMEN'S STUDIES 307: FEMINIST THEORY CLASS Bike-safety changes already in progress In response to the editorial in The Gamecock on Monday (“Bicycle use benefits USC”), I’d like to clarify a few issues on bi cycle safety. We do not “hope” to gain enough support for a monthly ride; we already have enough support. Riders who attended the Oct. 24 Critical Mass have decided to make it a monthly event. Our plan is to meet the fourth Thursday of the month, at 5:30 p.m. on the Horseshoe. Because of the upcom ing holidays, the ride will be Nov. 21, and Dec. 19. All types of bicy clists are welcome to these rides. The phrase “If SAGE, as well as other organizations concerned with bicyclists, take the time to organize plans to build more bicycle paths,” is misleading. SAGE, Student Government, the Transportation Dpnflrtmpnt anH thp Palmpftn Cycling Coalition have already be gun to work together to create a proposal for bicycle lanes, “Share the Road” signs and bicycle lock ers on and around campus. Bicyclists are encouraged to e mail us at usccriticalmass@ya hoo.com to let us know where they would like lanes, signs and lockers, and to help us get accu rate numbers of bicyclists. The more people behind this, the more likely this movement will succeed. KATIE MCCLENDON FOURTH-YEAR PHARMACY STUDENT Submission Policy Letters to the editor should be less than 300 words and include name, phone number, professional title or year and major, if a student. E-mail letters to gam£c ockviewpoints@hotmail.com. Letters will be edited. Anonymous letters will not be published. Call the newsroom at 777-7726 for more information. Let’s go political trick-or treating TYLER JONES GAMECOCKVIEWPOINTS@HOTMAlL.COM Go no farther than your TV for a frightful night. I had planned a long and lugubrious diatribe on my fa vurne preternatural ceieurauon, Halloween, but seeing that the world is already riddled with ghouls and goblins, a trite and trivial story about candy corn seems rather foolish, if you ask me. Excuse me if my mood is dark and nasty, for I have had just about enough of this pejorative phase that the world has entered as we ap proach Halloween. Not even Fredrick Krueger or Michael Myers could scare more people than Dan Rather or Peter Jennings these days. The staggering amount of hideous and downright primitive news has grown with an exponen tial fever of late, and I am beginning to wonder whether the vampires might show up on Election Day with red teeth and garlic jewelry. Let’s face it, who the hell needs a haunted house when you can flip on CNN and get a bladder emptying fright. Forget dressing up as Superman or Frankenstein; why not suit up as a teenage Jamaican sniper, or better yet, how about a deranged male nurse in Arizona? While the neighbors might not answer the doorbell, I assure you that you’ll be the hit oi tne party, especially tne one with the Russian Special Forces and their “special dry ice.” But despite all my ramblings, the true spooks and demons have remained back-page news. Beneath the horror stories in Maryland, the assassination of Laurence Foley in Jordan and the death of Sen. Paul Wellstone lies the ugly and men acing specter of Election Day. That’s right, young America, in less than a week there will be the first major election since Dubya and his pistol-toting Cabinet have been in office, and being one with credible soothsaying abilities, I have to confess that it doesn’t look good for either side. The difference between a Democrat and a Republican these days is similar to the difference between a sewer rat and a rabid pig. Both are equally unappealing and both are certain to make your day considerably less comfortable. Let’s take our good state of South Carolina. Two prominent races — for governor and the U.S. Senate —are on the line, and yet all of the candidates are equally gruesome. I have nightmares of Jim Hodges reading the phone book with that horrible lisp. Mark Sanford is some cryogenic clone of Jimmy Stewart recreated from the Frank Capra years. And please don’t get me started on the punch-drunk look of Alex Sanders juxtaposed with Lindsey Graham, who is re ally Jerry Mather’s evil twin. The result is sure to be a split across the board, but I’ve got my money on Hodges in the governor’s race and Graham in the Senate contest. Which brings us back to Halloween and the ghastly fact that even though snipers and Prozac induced shooting sprees seem to be all the rage these days, we must not forget about the cobbwebbed house on the hill. That’s right, kids. Mr. Hussein and his boys are sure to have some nice candy if you have the guts to ring their doorbell and say, “Trick or treat?” Who knows, maybe ole baaaam wui say tricK ana men your Power Ranger mask off with some old-school mustard gas while everyone’s favorite demon, Mr. Bin Laden, giggles in the background with his Anaheim Angels cap turned backward. Jones is a graduate student in the Journalism and Mass Communications School.